Wire fabric.



PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907.

H. E. LAUGHLIN. WIRE FABRIC.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 17, 1906.

ATTEsT.

ATTY.

DYN/

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

WIRE FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

latented Feb. 19, 1907.

Applicaticafiled May 17,.1906. Serial No. 317,331-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOWARD E. LAUGH- LIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Fabric; and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, and

- exact description of the invention, which will line 4 4, Big. 1.

enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same] My invention relates to wire fabric; and the invention consists in a fabric which is adapted to be used in the manufacture of bed, couch, sofa, and other spring bottoms, mattresses, andthe like, the idea being to make a structure which requires no other or additionalme'ans at the point where the wires intersectthan the construction of the Wires themselvesat such intersection to make effective lockingand bracing engagement, all substantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In ,the accompanying drawings, l igure 1 is a planview ofa single wire constructed according to my invention and which is an example of all the wire constituting the fabric,

all of'which are alike. Fig. 2 is aplan view of'a section of the fabric, showing how the wires interlock. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3 3, 1" ig. 1; and fig. 4 is a cross-section on Fig. 5 is a. cross-section on line 5 5, Fig. -1.

The plan of the fabric as thus shown has regard to the design as well as to the utility thereof, so thatlit may both look well and serve well the purpose for which it is intended. In rcspeet'to appearance I deem the rectangular form or design preferable, and this also best serves my present purpose.

It is well known that wirefabric, bed-bottoms having helical connections at their ends with the bed or mattress frame are under a constant tendency to stretch or elongate at the expense of the fabric 1. totally, the fabric in that c'iise pulling in from the sides and roducing uncomfortable sag in the bedn lhe same tendency occurs in other uses of the fabric, as in sofa-bottoms. Of course Iain aware that different means have been employed by different manufacturers to overcome or remedy this objection, as it is found in such fabrics generally; but regardless of all such and as an original conception I hav invented a fabric which is without other or additional means than the wires themselves to botheffect such interlocking-where'the .possibly p wires cross and lateral bracin to prevent contraction of the fabric, as will now appear. Thus the individual Wires A, out of which the entire structure is made, are bent into a se' ries of oppositelyrejecting loops, said loops having the same s ape throu hout each wire and throughout the entire 'fa ric. The said loops, so-called, are practically square and have parallel sides 2 and cross portions 3 at their ends connecting said sidesI Opposite said cross portions 3 the said loops are open their full width, so that said loops project in opposite directions alternately. but l e n the same plane relatively from end to end. N ow in order that interlocking and bracing of the said wires may be accomplished, as above described, so as to prevent lateral contraction of the fabric under any conditions, I provide each an le of the wire at the several corners a of saidloops with compound bends,

the first of which is outward as to both the otherwise straight sides 2 and the straight ends 3 of the loops, as indicated by dotted lines 7 7 and 8 8 in Fig. '2. Then, havin formed this bend in the said corners,I' ben each corner downward ap roxirnately the thickness of the wire, dott'er line 6 6, Fig. 3, so as to keep all the longitudinal sides 2 of the loops substantially on the same plane and provide an even surface the full length of the fabric. The first or outward bending of the corners also brings the sides 2 of the loops into practical alinement from wire to wire lengthwise of the fabric, while the cross parts 'or ends 3 of the loops also are brou ht into alincment with each other and onto the same plane as the sides 2 of the loops. Then as said corners are en aged with others in the successive wires A t liey interlock both longitudinally and laterally, and there can be no shrinking or contracting of the fabric between its side edges, because the successive cross parts 3 of the loops make effective braces between said sides.- It will also be observed that all the several wires constituting the fabric run transversely thereof, and

each wire is made complete before it is incor'- porated into the fabric. Then to unite said wires and make the fabric each wire is placed in the fabric individually'and one after the other until the desired length is obtained.

How this can be done is readily seen in F ig.v

2, wherein the last-engaged wire has had its loops carried up between the sides of the correspondin loops the preceding wire by acmg it-in a somewhat diagonal position and at right angles as the loops are introduced. The ends of the several wires are provided with hooks 8, corresponding to the bends or corners a.

ll hart I claim isl. A wire fabric constructed from a sucoes sion of transverse wires having each a series 01 rectangular loops and the corners of said loops hent downward approximately the thickness of the wire and said Wires connected in seid corners A ire fabric formed from independent I l l transverse wires looped together, the loops of all the seidwires being provided with sub stzgntielly right-angled corners having each a. lateral and a downward bend alike as to both the sides and the cross portions of the said loolps.

n testimony whereof I sign this specifica tion in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

HOWARD E. LAU JrHLIN. Witnesses 2 R. B. MosER, G. A. SELL. 

